Musée d’initiation à la nature
Small natural history museum in Caen: dioramas of Normandy wildlife and a garden with hedges, plants and rocks of the region, free admission.
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About the museum
The Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Caen, founded in 1823, was destroyed in 1944 during the Battle of Caen. To replace it, Dr Duncombe created the present Musée d’initiation à la nature in 1974, housed in the Abbaye aux Hommes precinct, in the former bakery.
The museum belongs to the City of Caen. It is home to the CPIE Vallée de l’Orne, an environmental education association founded in 1984, which runs it and organises temporary exhibitions, activities and programmes for schools and leisure centres.
The museum describes itself as the smallest natural history museum in France. Dioramas show the mammals of the bocage, the birds of the town, those of the ponds and those of the coast. The Norman garden brings together hedgerow trees, field and garden plants and the region’s main rocks.
Highlights
- Dioramas of bocage mammals
- Birds of the town, the ponds and the coast
- Norman garden with hedgerow trees and regional rocks
- Free admission, in the Abbaye aux Hommes precinct
- Founded
- 1974
- Operated by
- CPIE Vallée de l'Orne (association) ; les locaux appartiennent à la Ville de Caen
- Visitors per year
- approx. 12,100
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Groups | €80 per personSelf-guided visit of the museum reserved for a group, with a presentation of the collections: €80 per group, free for groups from Caen (agreement with the City of Caen). |
|---|---|
| Activity for a group (per group) | €125 |
Admission to the museum and to temporary exhibitions is free.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
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| Good to know | Programmes for schools and leisure centres (“Accueillir la biodiversité”, “École dehors”). Groups book by email with the museum. |
